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Most Youth Unaware of Cyberbullying

While young people are familiar with the internet and social media, that does not necessarily mean they are fully aware of the dangers of online activities, let alone of cyberbullying.

A survey by Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) showed 58 percent of young people between the ages of 12 and 21 in Indonesia were unaware of cyberbullying. The survey also found an average of one in eight young people were exposed to cyberbullying. During the Think Before You Speak campaign in Bandung, West Java, YCAB secretary-general Muhammad Farhan said impacts from cyberbullying are serious. Pressure on the social life of young people is now greater. If they are not strong they could even commit suicide. The finding was based on analysis of raw data from the Central Statistics Agency from 2006 to 2014, he added.

In February 2016, UK-based social marketing agency We Are Social announced that there were 88.1 million internet users in Indonesia and 79 million of the them used Facebook. Similar data was also released by the Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association.

The biggest number of Facebook users, 35 million people, are in the 20 to 29 year-old demographic, followed by 26 million in the 13 to 19 year-old group. A high number of Facebook users are not equipped with adequate knowledge about issues, especially cyberbullying. The Think Before You Share campaign is a collaboration between Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa and the Sudah Dong (Stop it) anti-bullying community. They have gained support from Facebook, targeting young people and parents to teach them how to share positive content through social media. The Think Before You Share campaign stemmed from concerns on the use of social media that allows everyone to share any content on the internet.